Hub-attaching device



' PATENTED JAN. 5, 1904.

s. s. THOMAS. HUB ATTAGHING DEVICE.

- APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 10, 1903.

'iillIl/ g w l N0 MODEL.

Patented January 5, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN SHERMAN THOMAS, OF BLOOMFIELD, MISSOURI.

HUB-ATTACHI NG DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 748,892, dated January5, 1904.

Application filed September 10, 1903. Serial. No. 172,564. (No model.)

full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings,

forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to an attaching device for vehicle-wheel hubs, theconstruction being such as toexclude the ingress of dust at the outerend of the hub and to provide for the removal and replacement of the hubon its axle-spindle without the requirement of a wrench or otherimplement, hut'merely by the rotation of the vehicle-wheel when theparts of the appliance are set in theproper positions to furnishengagement with the spindle axle-nut, as provided for.

The invention consists in features of novelt-y hereinafter fullydescribed, and pointed out in the claims.

Figure I is a view, partly in elevation and partly in longitudinalsection, of a vehiclehub having my appliance therein. Fig. IIis an endview of the hub with my appliance therein. Fig. III is a View of theouter end of the hub with the screw-disk and cam of my applianceomitted. Fig. IV is an inside view of the screw-disk and cam of theappliance. Fig. V is an edge view of the screwdisk and cam. Fig. VI is asimilar view to Fig. III with the spindle axle-nut omitted. Fig. VII isa perspective view of one of the key-blocks. Fig. VIII is a view of thespring washer used in connection with the turning stem of the cam of theappliance. Fig. IX is an enlarged section taken through the screwdiskand cam of the appliance.

1 designates the core of the outer half of a vehicle-wheel hub. Thiscore is surrounded by a band 2, the forward end of which projects beyondthe end of the core, as seen in Fig. I.

3 is an axle-spindle having the usualscrewthreaded end it, and 5 is aspindle axle-nut fitted to the threaded end of the spindle 3. The rim ofthe axle-nut is provided with a series of notches 6, the utility ofwhich will be hereinafter explained.

outer end of the cup bushing 7 is provided interiorly with ascrew-thread 9.

l0 designates guide-ribs arranged in pairs on the interior of the cupbushing and extending longitudinally thereof to fn rnish dovetailguideways 11, (see Figs. I and V1,) which terminate at their inner endsin pockets 12, formed in the flat inner end of said bushing.

13 designates dovetail key-blocks which ride in the guideways 11. Eachof these keyblocks bears a key-lug 14 and cam-fins 15. The key-lugs 14are adapted to move inwardly to the notches 6 in the axle-nut 5 to placethe key-blocks in engagement therewith for the service to be hereinafterfully explained, and the fins 15 receive the engagement of a cam, (to bedescribed,) through the medium of which the key-blocks are rcciprocatedin their gnideways.

16 designates a screw-disk that entersinto the open outer end of the cupbushing 7 and is secured thereto by engagement with the screw-thread 9interior of its bushing. The screw-disk is provided with a centralaperture 19. (See Figs. I and IX.)

20 designates a circular cam having a Hat head 21, provided with a pairof orifices 22. In the periphery of the cam 20 are a pair of inclinedcam-grooves 23, which extend from the innermost points A of the cam tothe outermost points B, as indicated in Fig. V. These cam-groovesreceive the cam-fins 15 of the key-blocks 13, and when the cam 20 isrotated, as will be explained later, the fins by riding in the groovescause reciprocation of the key-blocks to carry the key-lugs 14 inwardlyto the notches in the axle-nut or re cede them therefrom. The head 21 ofthe cam 20 bears a rotating stem 24, that passes through the aperture 19in the screw-disk 16 and is provided with a slotted head 25. The head ofthis stem is designed to be engaged by a screw-driver orother suitableinstrument to effect rotation of the cam 20, and thereby causereciprocation of the key-block 13 in their gnideways.

26 is a spring-washer interposed between the head of the stem 24 and thescrew-disk 16 and by which the stem-head is forced outwardly to hold thecam-head 21 in constant bearing with the inner face of the screwdisk 16.

17 designates recesses in the outer face of the screw-disk 16, which aredesigned to receive the prongs of a spanner or other suitableinstrument, by which said screw-disk may be rotated in inserting it orremoving it from the bushing 7, in which it fits.

18 designates bosses on the inside face of the screw-disk 16, which areplaced in alinementwith the orifices 22 in the cam-head 21. These bossesare designed to serve as catches for engagement in said orifices toyieldingly hold the cam 20 from rotation after the orifices have beenturned thereto in the rotary movement of the cam to reciprocate thekeyblocks 13. By this arrangement the cam is held in a stationaryposition while the keylugs 14 of the key-blocks are withdrawn from thenotches 6 of the axle-nut. When the cam 20 is rotated to carry thekey-blocks 13 into the notches in the axle-nut, the bosses 18 are forcedout of the orifices 22 in said cam and the spring-washer 26 tenselyholds the cam 20 from movement, thus serving its purpose to prevent theblocks from being withdrawn from the nut while oiling the axle-spindle.I prefer to form the bosses 18 by upsetting the metal in the screw-disk16 when the spanner-receiving recesses 17 therein are produced, inasmuchas such recesses may be made by the use of a punch, and when so producedthe metal at their locations is struck to the opposite side of thescrew-disk, and the bosses are thereby produced in the proper positionsand without extra expense in the making of the disk.

In the practical use of my hub-attaching device the parts are operatedas follows: The hub is placed upon the axle-spindle while the screw-disk16, cam 20, and key-blocks 13 are absent therefrom. The axle-nut 5 isthen screwed onto the thread of the axle-spindle and two of its notches6 are brought into alinement with the guideways 11 in the cup bushing 7.The fins 15 of the key-blocks 13 are then seated in the inclinedcam-grooves 23 of the cam 20, and the said key-blocks are entered intothe guideways 11 in the cup bushing. The screw-disk 16 is then screwedinto the bushing 7 by the use ofa suitable spanner, and at the same timethe cam 20 is held from rotation through the medium of a screw-driver orother implement placed in engagement with the slotted head 25 of thecamhead stem 24:. When the screw-disk has been screwed home, it will befound that the hub will turn freely on the axle-spindle, and thekey-blocks 13 will occupy the positions seen-in Fig. I, where they areout of engagesaid disk, and the ingress of dust or dirt thereto isexcluded by said disk.

Whenever it may be desired to remove the vehicle-wheel from theaxle-spindle, this may be readily accomplished by the followingprocedure: By placing a screw-driver or other implement in engagementwith the head of the rotating stem 24,and thereby rotating the cam 20,the key-blocks 13 are reciprocated inwardly, owing to their finengagement with the cam, and as a consequence the key-blocks are movedinwardly until their key-lugs 14 enter the notches 6 in the axle-nut tolock said nut to the bushing 7, in which the keyblocks ride. Then uponbackward rotation of the vehicle-wheel being imparted thereto thekey-blocks 13 through their engagement with the axle-nut cause said nutto be unscrewed from the threaded end of the axlespindle, and thewheel-hub may he slipped from the axle without disturbing the mechanismwithin it. When the wheel-hub is replaced, it is rotated in the oppositedirection from that in which it was turned to remove it,and theaxle-nut, being still held by the key-lugs, is again screwed ontothethreaded end of the axle-spindle, thereby putting the parts in the samecondition as they occupied just previous to the removal of the hub. Thenext step consists in placing the parts in, proper position to permitfree rotation of the wheel-hub on its spindle. This is done by rotatingthe cam 20 backwardly from its previous rotation to thereby withdraw thepreviously occupied and retract the key-lugs 14 from engagement with thenotches of the axle-nut, so that the hub may rotate freely on itsspindle.

I desire to call attention to the fact that the bushing 7 cannot becomedisplaced in the Jhub-band in which it is seated and lost therefrom,owing to the fact that the axle-nut rim projects over the screws 8,which secure said bushing to the hub and therefore prevent the turningof said screws during the use of the hub.

I do not desire to be limited to the particular construction of the hubin respect to the hub-band and the bushing within it, including themanner of securing said bushing, as it is obvious that instead ofslipping the bushing into the hub-band from the outer end of said banditmay be introduced into the band from the rear before the band is put inplace on the hub-core and in such instance be held from slipping out ofthe band, owing to the outer end band being smaller than the inner end.It is also evident that the hub-band may be omitted and the bushingapplied directly to the hub without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

I claim as my invention 1. In a device of the character described, thecombination with an axle-spindle, of a notched axle-nut fitted to saidspindle, a hub key-blocks 13 from the inward positions they mounted onsaid spindle, reciprocating keyblocks in said hub for engagement in thenotches in said axle-nut, a disk seated in said hub, a cam rotatablyconnected to said disk and having engagement with said key-blocks, andmeans for yieldingly holding said cam from rotation, substantially asset forth.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with anaxle-spindle,of a notched axle-nut fitted to said spindle, a hub mountedon said spindle, reciprocating key-blocks in said hub for engagement inthe notches of said axle-nut, a disk seated in said hub, a cam rotatablyconnected to said disk and having engagement with said key-blocks, and aspring interposed between said disk and a part carried by said camwhereby said cam is yieldingly held to said disk, substantially as setforth.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with anaxle-spindle, of a notched axle-nut fitted to said spindle, a hubmounted on said spindle, reciprocating keyblocks in said hub forengagement in the notches in said axle-nut, a disk seated in said hub,an apertured cam rotatably connected to said disk, and having engagementwith said key-blocks, a spring-washer for holding said cainto said disk,and bosses on the inner face of said .disk to enter the apertures insaid cam for the purpose of holding the cam from rotation, substantiallyas set forth.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination With anaxle-spindle, of a notched axle-nut fitted to said spindle, a hubmounted on said spindle, reciprocating keyblocks in said hub forengagement in the notches of said axle-nut, each of said keyblockshaving a fin, a disk screwed into said hub, a cam rotatably connected tosaid disk and having spiral grooves for engagement with said fins toimpart reciprocation to the key-blocks, and means for yieldingly holdingsaid cam from rotation, substantially as set forth.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination with anaX1e-spindle,of anotched axle-nut fitted to said spindle, ahub mountedon said spindle, reciprocating key-blocks in said hub for engagement inthe notches of said axle-nut, each of said key-blocks having a fin, adisk screwed into. said hub, a cam rotatably connected to said disk andhaving spiral grooves for engagement with said fins to impartreciprocation to the key-blocks,'and a spring interposed between saiddisk and a part carried by said cam whereby said cam is yieldingly heldto said disk, substantially as set forth.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination with anaxle-spindle, of a notched axle-nut fitted to said spindle, a hubmounted on said spindle, reciprocating'keyblocks in said hub forengagement in the notches in said axle-nut, each of said keyblockshaving a fin, a disk screwed into said hub, an apertured cam rotatablyconnected to said disk and having spiral grooves for engagement withsaid fins to impart reciprocation of the key-blocks, a spring-Washer forholding said cam to said disk, and bosses on the inner face of saiddiskto enter the apertures in said cam for the purpose of holding thecam from rotation, substantially as set forth.

7. In a device of the character described, the combination with anaxle-spindle of a notched axle-nut fitted to said spindle, a hub mountedon said spindle, a bushing in said hub provided with dovetailedguideways, dovetailed key-blocks reciprocatingly positioned in saidguideways, each of said keyblocks having a fin, a disk screwed into saidbushing and a cam rotatably connected to said disk and having spiralgrooves for engagement with said fins for the purpose of reciprocatingsaid key-blocks into and out of the notches in said axle-nut,substantially as set forth.

STEPHEN SHERMAN THOMAS.

In presence of- T. BEN. TURNBAUGH, BERT SMITH.

